United States v. Marathon Oil Co.

The U.S. Department of Justice lodged a proposed consent decree with the federal district court for the District of North Dakota to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at oil and gas production facilities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The defendant is Marathon Oil Company, a publicly held company engaged in oil and gas production and exploration. The alleged violations included failures to obtain preconstruction and operating permits for at least 38 facilities and violations of design, operation, and maintenance requirements at no fewer than 66 facilities. The complaint alleged that the facilities unlawfully emitted thousands of tons of volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, methane, and other pollutants because of the violations. The consent decree requires actions to address the alleged violations, environmental mitigation projects, and payment of a $64.5 million civil penalty. The mitigation projects include a monitoring project through which the defendant will provide optical gas imaging infrared cameras to Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Energy Division inspectors. The settlement is part of EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative to mitigate climate change. The public comment period on the consent decree closes on August 15.